McConnell: GOP Won’t Vote to Raise Debt Ceiling

Last updated on July 24th, 2021 at 02:06 pm

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) warned Democrats that the GOP will not vote to raise the debt ceiling. McConnell said that Democrats should to include the spending hike in an infrastructure bill that they can pass along party lines.

“I can’t imagine there will be a single Republican voting to raise the debt ceiling after what we’ve been experiencing,” McConnell told Punchbowl News.

Democrats could include the debt ceiling increase in their budget reconciliation bill currently being debated. However, it is more likely that Democrats could tie the debt ceiling to a funding bill that would need to pass by the end of September, which would place Republicans in a position where voting against it could mean shutting down the government. 

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“If Democrats did include the debt ceiling increase in reconciliation, lawmakers would need to choose what the new borrowing limit should be in the legislation given the special budget rules,” CNN reported.

Republican lawmakers did not demand spending cuts as they raised the debt ceiling several times under former President Donald Trump. Raising the debt ceiling is considered a shaky political move; it will undoubtedly become a major talking point among the GOP as the party works to garner support for midterm elections in 2022.

Alan Herrera

Alan is a writer, editor, and news junkie based in New York.